{"id":13864,"date":"2025-07-25T19:02:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T19:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=13864"},"modified":"2025-07-25T19:02:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T19:02:17","slug":"sri-lanka-orders-ship-owner-to-pay-1-billion-for-worst-ever-marine-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=13864","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka Orders Ship Owner To Pay $1 Billion For Worst-Ever Marine Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    Sri Lanka Orders Ship Owner To Pay $1 Billion For Worst-Ever Marine Disaster<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    <!-- no image --><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire-300x157.png?resize=300%2C157&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"Sri Lanka Orders Ship Owner To Pay $1 Billion For Worst-Ever Marine Disaster\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-right:10px;width:150px; height:150px;float:left;\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire-150x79.png 150w, https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1873018\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1873018\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1873018\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire.png?resize=1200%2C628\" alt=\"X-Press Pearl on fire\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/X-Press-Pearl-on-fire-150x79.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1873018\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credits: Sri Lanka Air Force\/X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On July 24, Sri Lanka\u2019s Supreme Court ordered the owners, operators, and agents of the container ship X-Press Pearl to pay $1 billion in compensation for causing what the court called the worst marine environmental disaster in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p>The court found the Singapore-registered vessel responsible for releasing hazardous chemicals and plastic pellets into the ocean after it caught fire and sank near Colombo in June 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The ship had departed from Jebel Ali in the UAE and was denied entry at ports in Qatar and India due to a leaking nitric acid container before arriving in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n<p>The five-judge bench concluded that the ship\u2019s master, operator, and local agent intentionally hid critical details about the nitric acid leak and other onboard dangers from the Harbor Master at the Port of Colombo to gain permission to dock.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Situation Update: Latest pictures of the \u201cX-PRESS PEARL\u201d vessel which is presently engulfed in flames. Footage was captured by the SLAF Bell 212 during the afternoon of 26 May 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xKjYyumcz2\">pic.twitter.com\/xKjYyumcz2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sri Lanka Air Force (@airforcelk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/airforcelk\/status\/1397831809715650561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 27, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The court also ruled that the vessel owners failed to alert Sri Lankan authorities about the full extent of the problem, violating international law.<\/p>\n<p>According to the court, X-Press Pearl was carrying 1,500 containers, including 81 labeled as dangerous cargo. When the vessel caught fire and sank, it released 25 tons of nitric acid, 70 billion plastic nurdles (small plastic pellets used to manufacture plastic items), and other harmful chemicals into the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n<p>The environmental impact was devastating. The court noted that 417 turtles, 48 dolphins, eight whales, and many fish species were found dead and washed ashore. Phytoplankton, vital for marine ecosystems, were also affected.<\/p>\n<p>The pollution severely contaminated around 80 kilometers of coastline, and debris from the ship caused widespread beach pollution. The government had to impose a fishing ban for more than a year, leading to significant losses for thousands of fishermen and local communities.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSriLankaAirForceGuardiansoftheSkies%2Fvideos%2F977683339669487%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"314\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Based on extensive scientific and legal assessments, the court set the compensation amount at $1 billion. The payment is to be made in three installments:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>$250 million by September 23<\/li>\n<li>$500 million within six months<\/li>\n<li>$250 million within one year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All the funds will be deposited in court-administered accounts and used for compensating affected communities and restoring the marine and coastal environment.<\/p>\n<p>The companies named in the ruling include EOS Ro Pte. Ltd. (the ship\u2019s registered owner) and other charterers, all based in Singapore. The local agent in Sri Lanka, Sea Consortium Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd., was also held accountable.<\/p>\n<p>The court applied the \u201cPolluter Pays Principle,\u201d saying the ship\u2019s owner, operators, and agent are legally and financially responsible for the pollution caused.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSriLankaAirForceGuardiansoftheSkies%2Fvideos%2F1360068094393336%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"314\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The 361-page verdict also criticised the Sri Lankan government\u2019s role in the disaster. It said the Attorney General\u2019s Department acted \u201carbitrarily, irrationally, and unilaterally\u201d by choosing not to take criminal action under Sri Lanka\u2019s environmental laws. Instead, the department filed a civil case against the vessel\u2019s owners in the Singapore International Commercial Court, which the judges described as \u201cunjust, irrational, and arbitrary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The court has now ordered Sri Lanka\u2019s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to launch a formal investigation into how the disaster was handled by government authorities. The CID must report back to the court within three months and check for signs of bribery or other wrongdoing involving ministries, departments, or officials, including the Attorney General\u2019s Department.<\/p>\n<p><em>Two new commissions have been established:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Compensation Commission, headed by the Chief Justice<\/li>\n<li>A Marine and Coastal Environmental Restoration Commission, to be formed by the Secretary of the Ministry of Environment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Both bodies must include independent experts to ensure transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, Sri Lanka\u2019s Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) had estimated total damages from the disaster at $6.4 billion. Though the ship\u2019s owners had already paid $7.85 million for initial clean-up and emergency relief, they also sought legal protection by securing a UK admiralty court ruling in July 2023, which limited their liability to \u00a319 million (about $25 million). The Sri Lankan government has appealed this decision.<\/p>\n<p><em>Reference: AP News, SCMP<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    MI News Network<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marineinsight.com\/shipping-news\/sri-lanka-orders-ship-owner-to-pay-1-billion-for-worst-ever-marine-disaster\/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=sri-lanka-orders-ship-owner-to-pay-1-billion-for-worst-ever-marine-disaster\">Go to marine insight<\/a><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sri Lanka Orders Ship Owner To Pay $1 Billion For Worst-Ever Marine Disaster Image Credits: Sri Lanka Air Force\/X On July 24, Sri Lanka\u2019s Supreme Court ordered the owners, operators, and agents of the container ship X-Press Pearl to pay $1 billion in compensation for causing what the court called the worst marine environmental disaster [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,196],"tags":[197],"class_list":["post-13864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marine-insight","category-shipping-news","tag-marine-insight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13864"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13864\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}